Work It, Girl!

Since having Joaquin things have not been so great on the workout front. It's hard to find the time or energy to get a good workout in, and honestly, most days it is the last thing on my mind. But, I do want to get in shape. Despite being told that I look thinner than I did before I was pregnant, the sad truth is that I am still carrying about 15 lbs of baby weight (although at this point, I don't think I can technically call it "baby weight"...it's just me), mostly in my mid-section. They say after you have a baby your body is just never quite the same, but I refuse to believe this spare tire is here to stay.

I have recently taken on a new attitude when it comes to working out, which is I do it whenever and where ever I can. This means I don't necessarily have to get all gussied up in a sports bra, sweats and tennis shoes. If I'm laying around playing with Joaquin, I bang out some sit-ups. I take advantage of nice days by taking a stroll with my little man. And, everyday (for the past 5 days now), I do the 4-minute workout (thank you, Pinterest!). It's tough, it kicks my butt, and it's only 4 minutes! Plus I can do it while Joaquin plays right next to me. His favorite move is the high knees, he loves to try and do them with me. :) I downloaded an interval timer to my blackberry, and it's all the equipment I need. Hopefully I can continue to this daily routine, boost my metabolism and tame this tummy!  xxoo

Take Me Out to the A's Game

This weekend we headed to O.co Coliseum in Oakland watch the A's play for the first time this season. Last year, despite Joaquin being only 4-9 months old, we managed to make it out to about 5 games which is pretty good... hopefully this year we'll get to even more.
Since Joaquin was so young last season, this was the first game he's been to where I think he has truly been able to enjoy himself. He got to walk around the parking lot before the game, making friends with his fellow A's tailgaters, explore the ballpark and browse the Team Store. He even made friends with the people sitting behind us. They were such big fans of him, he ended up sitting with them for a couple of innings, and he loved it! I am really looking forward to taking him to more games this season, and hitting up his first fireworks game! xxoo

Happy Anniversary, Fenway!

Today marks 100 years since the opening of baseball's oldest standing ballpark. Fenway, in Boston is home to the Boston Red Sox, and in my opinion a national treasure. Jose and I were fortunate enough to attend a game here three years ago while in Boston for my brother's wedding, and I have to say it's by far my favorite ballpark I've been to (beating out even Wrigley Field in Chicago, the 2nd oldest ballpark). There is just something so amazing about being in such a historic place, especially in Boston where they take their baseball very, very seriously. From the thick Bostonian accents gently trash talking fans of the opposite team (we were sitting in front of some very drunk, very witty Sox fans, who were able to be loud without being annoying or hostile), to the tradition of singing Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" during the 8th inning (SO GOOD, SO GOOD!), it was a baseball experience I will never forget. Although we are not Red Sox fans, you can't deny the energy here is contagious. Definitely a must for any baseball fan's "Baseball Stadium Bucket List".

In other news, it's hot as hell outside and I love it! I am soooo ready for summer and for our first A's game of the season tomorrow! Happy Friday! xxoo

Little Hearts Hold Big Hopes

Recently I have discovered and become a part of a wonderful organization called Mended Little Hearts. It's a group that helps to support babies who are born with a Congenital Heart Defect (CHD), and their families. Most people who know me personally know that I myself was born with Tricuspid Atresia, which means I was born without a tricuspid valve in my heart. As a baby, I had surgeries and was in and out of the hospital. I had my last surgery (a fontan operation) when I was five and since then have been relatively healthy. I have always wanted to somehow give back and try to bring hope to parents whose babies have CHD, so when I heard that this group was starting a chapter in the Bay Area, I jumped at the chance to get involved.

I'm proud to say that I am now the Treasurer of our chapter, Mended Little Hearts of Silicon Valley. I am also going to the national convention in Dallas next month to get leadership training and learn more about CHD and the organization. Check out the website if you want to learn more! :) xxoo

http://siliconvalley.mendedlittlehearts.net/
www.mendedlittlehearts.org

At our very first group meeting. It was so great to meet and talk to everyone!

Suit Up!

On Saturday we attended a first birthday party/baptism reception for our good friends' little girl, Tatum. Since this event was a pretty big deal (the party included a cartoon artist, magician, dinner and dancing), we decided Joaquin needed a sharp new outfit to wear. We found this adorable Perry Ellis suit at Costco! Joaquin was a big hit at the party, and we had to just about pull him off the dance floor when it was time to leave. I'm telling you, this kid is going to be the life of the party for years to come!





Helllooooo Ladies!

Dancing Machine

The birthday girl enjoying her cake.



                                                 

And just for fun, here is the cartoon versions of Jose, Joaquin and myself. I think he did a pretty accurate depiction, I especially love the way he captured Joaqiun's eyes and cute little crooked smile :)

       

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! xxoo



Disclaimer

Before we go any further, I need to warn who ever may be reading this blog that, yes, I am a mommy. A full-time mommy to be exact (then again, aren't all mommies full-time?). So this blog is going to have A LOT of entries about Joaquin, being a mom, my domestic life, and hopefully a few about nights out with my husband. So if you are looking for a fashion, DIY, cooking, or just plain party-night-out-on-the-town-24/7 blog, I'm sorry to say this is not it. It is, for all intents and purposes, a "Mommy Blog."

I promise to try and spice it up every now and then. I may be a mommy, but I do like to cut a rug. :)

xxoo

Little Copycat

One of the most amazing things about being a parent is getting to witness your child grow and learn new things. It's even more amazing when they start to do things purely out of observation (as opposed to you endlessly trying to teach them).

Tonight I had just such an experience as I was getting Joaquin ready for a bath. The past few times I've given him a bath, he has stood next to me and put his hand under the running water, just as I do when I'm trying to get just the right temperature. Tonight, however, after testing the water he took it upon himself to open the cabinet where we keep his bath supplies, get out his bubble bath, and bring it over to the tub to add some bubbles. Of course once I realized what he was doing, I helped him open the bottle and squeeze it into the tub, which produced a very hearty giggle from my little genius. I swear, it's moments like these that make me so friggin happy to be a mommy.... And then of course after the bath he's in his room dragging all of his clean (and folded) laundry out of the basket, but I guess that's what I get for not putting it away earlier. :P

And with that, I am off to enjoy the rest of my night watching Shark Tank and folding towels. TGIF! xxoo

Rainy [Lazy] Day

It's raining today, and that means I get to be lazy and hang out at home with my little man. One of the perks to being a stay-at-home-mommy is that I can decide things like that, and don't have to drag Joaquin all over town when it's crappy outside. Wait... Did I just say "stay-at-home-mommy"?? Yep, you read that right! The company that I was working for (Ecast) closed it's doors in March and since then I have enjoyed my new role as full time Mom. Although I must admit, I am getting a chance to sneak out of the house one day a week (5hrs) to work in the "real world".

Being a SAHM is harder than it looks, but at the same time I'm not going nearly as crazy as I thought I would be. We've managed to keep pretty busy and it's nice to be able to schedule things around my baby rather than the other way around. Not to say I don't want to someday go back to work full time, but for now I'm happy just watching this little guy grow from day to day.

In other news, Joaquin is growing waaay to fast! He's already 16 months, running around, starting to talk, have his own ideas and opinions, not to mention out growing all of his 18 month clothes! When I go out with him people always ask how old he is, and before I can answer they guess that he's 2 or 3. YIKES! I love that he is a tall, healthy boy but can't he just stay my tiny little baby a while longer?? Before I know it he will be running outside on rainy days, jumping in puddles and drinking hot chocolate. But who am I kidding, I'm so looking forward to those days :)

Hello, Mr. Bunny

This year Joaquin met the Easter Bunny for the first time, and I think it's safe to say he has made a best friend for life... You never know how kids are going to react to meeting a giant rabbit, so I was half expecting J to run screaming in the opposite direction (not really, but I thought for sure he would at least be hesitant). But no, not my fearless little social butterfly! He instantly made friends, and was more than happy to have a photo session.

We went to Blackhawk Plaza to get the pictures done... I love going there for things like Santa and the Easter Bunny, it's never crowded and we always get some great shots. :) Here's hoping everyone had a wonderful Easter! xxoo

Third Time's a Charm....?

Well I think by now we have established that as a blogger, I suck. It has literally been almost a year since my last post. And believe me, my baby does a hell of a lot more than laugh now. But what the hell, I'm feeling feisty so what say we give this blog business one more spin. Stay tuned if you dare.

I will now be taking bets on how long it will take for me to give up this blog completely. My money's on 2 weeks... Let the games begin.